Improvement in machines fof



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EDIVARD H. ASHCROFT, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS.

Specicaton forming part of Letters Patent No. 110,415, dated December .7, 1870.

To all whom t muy concern:

Be it known that I, EDWARD H. AsHcRoFT, of Lynn, of the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an improved machine for removing burrs and dirt or extraneous matters from wool upon the skin or the wool of a pelt; and I do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawings, of which- Figure 1 is an isometrical perspective, and Fig. 2 a transverse section, of the machine,

' the plane of section of the last-named figure being through one of the adjusting-screws of the adjustable pelt-supporter.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination of a series of blades, a movable or adjustable pelt-supporter, and separate adjusting-screws applied to the latter, whereby the distance of such supporter from the beater may be regulated throughout its entire length, or at either end, according as the pelt may require for being cleansed or deburred. The pelt-supporter is formed with a horizontal passage or slot extending through it to receive the skin, the supporter, thus made, operating not only to sustain the pelt while subjected to the action of the beater, but to guard the hands of the attendant from being struck or injured by the blades of the beater.

In the drawings, A denotes the frame of the, machine, it being composed of four upright@ posts, a, and aseries of horizontal connectinggirts, b b', all arranged as represented.

The rotary beater is composed of a series of long rectangular blades, e, arranged about a shaft, B, and xed to arms or heads d projecting therefrom or applied theretofthe spaces between each two blades being supplied with guard-boards arranged as shown at k, such boards serving to prevent the pelt from being caught by and wound around the shaft while it may be in revolution. They also operate to prevent the accumulation of wool and waste matters on and about the shaft, and are useful in other respects. The rotary beater, arranged in the frame in manner as shown, has the journals of its shaft B supported in suitable boxes, one of which is shown at c in Fig. 1, and such shaft may or is to be furnished with means for putting it in rapid revolution.

Alongside of or in rear of the rotary beater through, as occasion may require.

or series `of blades is the pelt-supporter D, which is a deep beam arranged to slide freely upon the girts b b, either toward or away from the rotary beater. Through this beam is the horizontal slot or passage j', for the pelt to run The peltsupporter is connected with the rear girt, b, by means of two adjusting-screws, h h, which go through the girt and screw into plates or nuts Z, fastened thereto. The inner ends of the shanks g g of the screws are pivoted to the supporter in manner as shown, the connections being left, in practice, so as to admit of the supporter at either end being moved a little nearer to or farther from the beater than at the other end, or into parallelism with it.

The wool on a pelt is not generally-of even thickness, it being thicker at or near one edge than at the opposite one, in which case it may be necessary for the production of good work to adjust the supporter a little more or less out of parallelism with the beater.

It must be borne in mind that the blades of the beater are not to be sharp, so as to cut the wool, but are to have their edges sufficiently acute to beat off the burrs and extraneous matters from it without doing injury to or cutting it. These blades I usually construct of thin plates of steel, each having slots made in it transversely to receive clamp-screws, which, in order to fasten the blades to their beds, I cause to pass through stiff metallic bars laid on the blades.

The pelt-supporter may be without the passage through it, but when made or provided with such it becomes much safer for use.

In using the above-described machine the pelt, arranged upon or through the supporter, is to extend down between such and the beater,

and, while the latter may be in rapid revolution, may be either let down or drawn up gradually, and turned so as to bring every part of the wool under the action of the blades.

I am aware of the machine patented on December 20, 1837, by Erastus Tracy. I am also aware of the machine described in the United States Patent No. 18, 564, dated N ovember 8, 1857, and granted to John Vaterhouse, and, consequently, I make no claim thereto, or any part, arrangement, or combination of parts incident to either of such machines. I am also aware of the machine as described in the PatentfNo. 103,309, datedMay 24, 1870, and granted to George F. Dockham, and make no claim to any thing, arrangement, or combination of parts shown or described in such patent, each of such patented machines being for burring,77 or, more properly, deburringj and cleansing a pelt. A distinctive feature of difference between my invention and these others is that the peltsupporter of my machine has combined with it and the frame means, as described, for adjusting it and holding it in position, as set forth with respect to the beater; also, that the said supporter is made With a slot or passage, j', going through it, for reception and holding of the pelt, and for causing that portion of the supporter which is over the passage to serve as a guard to prevent the beater from doing injury to the hands or arms of the attendant when present ing a pelt to or manipulating it While under the action of the beater.

In the construction of my machine I do not employ avibrator or anygrooved roller applied to it, such as are represented in such Patent No. 103,309, the said vibrator being simply to move up to and away from stationary stops, so as to engage and disengage the operating gears of the feed-roller, and serving also as a defleetor of the burrs or dirt.

I claim as my inventiony The improved pelt-deburring machine,com posed of the adjustable slide-bar or pelt-snpporter, made as described, its adjusting-screws or devices, as set forth, and the rotary series of blades or beaters, all arranged in and combined With a supporting-frame, so as to operate in manner as specified.

EDWARD H. ASHCROFT.

lVitnesses:

R. H. EDDY, J. R. SNOW. 

